Despite my torn opinion of him as an actor (damn your managers for steering you to more crap roles than good), "Black & White" has firmly asserted Vic Zhou into my mind as a "actor" and not a "Idol actor".
Yes I liked him in "Mars" and "Sweet Relationship" but it was his portrayal of the not-so-by-the-book "Chen Zai Tian(Pi Zi)" that made me go back and re-watch those dramas to confirm to myself; "Was he always this good?"
In this we have him playing a cop with more going on under the surface than meets the eye, partnered with a straight laced kind of cop, "Wu Ying Xiong" played by Mark Chao.
First of all, the dynamic between these two was bloody brilliant.
I love how "Zai Tian" was like the Captain Jack Sparrow of policing, down to the little walk and womanizing. Vic Zhou had us rolling our eyes and laughing at every wink, saunter and hushed seduction While Mark Chao's "Ying Xiong" had us busting stitches at every foiled seduction attempt he smote like some cock-blocking god.
But with every laugh they got us with every dramatic scene too, not overly done, nor overly drawn out, which was a godsend because some dramas can wring out that angst for all it's got and still ask for another bucket.
While the characters were a good symmetry for each other, the story writing and editing and directing were just as perfectly matched.
You don't feel rushed while watching it, and you don't feel it's too slow. Just the right pace, coupled with great actors putting it to the best that they can push it made "Black & White" the best Taiwanese produced drama I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
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Good looking leads
Decent (if not good) story: [I am sorry Taiwanese fans but as much as I watch a lot of Taiwan dramas like the next addict, I find a lot of it fluff drama]
Good balance of humor/romance
It was, thankfully, not all Taiwanese-idol-fluff drama. Sam Wang has got to get more leading roles, by the way. He's actually not that bad when you get him out of the shadow of someone else's drama. Though such is the life of a second lead, your talent can go unnoticed (I, until recently, didn't like Ming Dao for the same reason, too many idol-fluff, not enough proper acting. Once you get these two to do something out of the norm they surprise you).
Can I say that it's the greatest drama ever? No.
I can say it wasn't a waste of time, nor am I demanding my life back after watching it. It was average, acceptable, and light enough to watch and think fondly of after completing it.
Can I say that I'd re-watch it? Well... I already did. When it came out and last year when nothing good was on.
Overall: Fair enough for a good time and maybe one or two re-watches.
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With that said, "Assault Girls" was lacking as a movie in writing. The Story failed the visuals. We did get a few funny lines at the beginning, and if you are a gamer, you'll get why it's funny. We've all been around to witness dumb gamer banter on PK servers. But the story in its entirety fell short, or rather it felt like there wasn't a story at all, it was more like watching someone's 3D game play. Fun for the user, not always fun for the observer.
Yes, it was filmed in a desert, but that was the gaming environment... get over it.
I hate to refer back to something not everyone has seen, but with "Avalon" they did the reverse. They tried to show equally the in-game and off-game environment.
It showed the universe that the writer of the script wanted to portrait while also, curiously, their choices in unrealistic colors for the real world and realism for the game world gave you a sense that for the player portrayed in "Avalon" the real world held no luster. It's as if her reality wasn't real enough for her.
While with "Assault Girls", the lack of off-game time in the movie was it's downfall because it left us with no real insight into character development. They made a sad attempt with the opening sequence but that was... what? About 15 minutes in or so compared to how long the movie was? There was a shot at working together and collaborating as an undertone at some point too, but because the story was so underdeveloped it either went unnoticed by most or just made any viewer that noticed confused.
In Summary, go watch "Avalon" first if you felt like the movie would have been worth your time with more story in it. Watch "Assault Girls" if you have watched "Avalon" and get the meaning to the long ass written intro in the beginning of the movie. If you get that, watch the rest. You might not think it was worth the time after but you'll understand where the direction went wrong and at least won't think that the movie was a complete waste of time.
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Romance de Verão que Brilha na Cor do Arco-íris
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It was late and I was bored, so I didn't have time for a new drama. Hence, I went ahead and looked for a movie in my "to watch" list. Ta-dah!
Storyline:
The storyline is in no way original. I've seen this happen in several melodramas before. It felt like a deja vu. Nonetheless, it was heartfelt and touching overall.
So if you're ever in a mood for another melodrama-I've-seen-it-before with good acting, then here is what Only You has to offer...
a) Looking for cute couple or nice feel romance? Here is the right place! I thought our OTP worked really well together. I've long overused the phrase "they complement each other". Though, it's true! That phrase applies here too. I also loved our two leads' complexity, but I wish they delved more into their dark pasts.
b) Sports/Fights. Want to see some MMA? Check this out. There are quite some worthy cringing gory scenes.
c) Willpower. I love how Han Hyo Joo's character, Jeong Hwa, is always so optimistic/cheery despite her circumstances. It was inspiring. Han Hyo Joo always lights up my mood.
d) Good pacing. I didn't find that it was too slow at any point. I wouldn't say perfect pacing either, but it never bored me.
e) Funny moments. Not laugh out loud moments, but I did chuckle a few times at the beginning from our OTP interactions.
If you're an avid drama watcher like me, then you've probably seen this storyline from somewhere before. Though, it's not done badly. It just wasn't something that blew me away.
Acting/Cast:
Great acting from Han Hyo Joo and So Ji Sub. Actually, the movie's strongest point goes to the acting.
This is the first time seeing Jyo Hoo in a movie and she gave a good impression like always. Though, I hope she won't stop acting in tv series.
She acted really well as a blind person. The way she looked at Ji Sub's character, Cheol Min, was really expressive. The same applies for Ji Sub. The way he marveled at her makes me believe that he truly loves her. They're both very expressive actors.
Though, the acting wasn't phenomenal. I've seen them act better in previous projects. Not to say that they didn't excel here, but it wasn't anything new.
I wish they delved more into the main characters' minds. I felt like I never understood them inside-out. I still had some lingering questions at the end about our main characters.
Music:
The songs were pleasing to my ears/heart while watching the movie. I especially liked the instrumental ones playing during the scenes where Cheol Min was boxing.
Truthfully, I don't remember much about the songs as soon as the movie ended.
Bonus:
Puppy/Dog!!!
Overall:
Nothing jaw-dropping or mind-blowing.
If you want something simple/slightly tearjerking/enjoyable then watch this. Other than that it's not a must-watch. If you're a fan of Han Hyo Joo (like me!) or So Ji Sub then this movie will definitely not disappoint you.
Overall rating for review: 7/10
Purely for entertainment: 8.5/10
My Dramalist rating (avg): 7.75/10
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Padam Padam... Os Sons das Batidas dos Corações
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I can't think of one bad actor in this cast. Jung Woo Sung, as Yang Kang Chil, was intense, and very moving. Han Ji Min, as cool/controlled Jung Ji Nah, was his perfect counterpart. Their relationship had all the familiar elements (opposites attracting, destined path crossings, and family disapproval...) but without simply relying on clichés. My only small criticism is that they had some of the worst onscreen kisses I've ever seen, though the rest of their romantic moments more than make up for it. It could be argued that their awkwardness fit the story, but I just found it distracting. Their romance was portrayed as much deeper than a few cute moments, so I do have to give them a lot of credit for that.
Of the exceptional supporting cast, I have 3 favorites. Na Moon Hee, as the mother, was a really great character, and expertly played. Choi Tae Joon, as the son, was the only character that made me actually cry. Kim Bum, as the charming yet odd Lee Gook Soo, was my absolute favorite. His character's journey was so awesomely unexpected, and he did an amazing job with it.
As I mentioned earlier, this is a tearjerker, but there are plenty of funny, sweet, intriguing, and inspiring moments too. Some aspects of the story are left open ended, but that didn't bother me at all. I thought the end episode was beautifully done, and gave me all the closure I needed. I can't agree that this drama is perfect, but It is certainly better than most, and not to be missed.
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Kaseifu no mita is a really cool family drama. I really don’t like family dramas a whole lot but this one was pretty good. A creepy, robotic, Nanny McFee character is the housekeeper who of course teaches the family valuable lessons, and unifies the family all while learning one herself. The main reason I don’t like most family dramas is because they are really unrealistic. However this one really touches on a dark side of life. Not all smiles and happy times, this drama delves into teenage sex, infidelity, suicide, longing, angst, anger and tragedy. Looking at how a family fell apart and was unconsciously mended back together through individual choices made me want to see each episode. I wanted to know whose turn was it to get “fixed”, and how/where was it gonna happen.
Nanako Matsushima was awesome!! She was not only totally believable but she was the character, and it was played to perfection. Other outstanding actors were Shiori Kutsuna who really did bring out the troubled teenager she was playing.
What I didn’t like was the ridiculous concept that the housekeeper never getting into trouble doing what she did. If they were going to be realistic and dark they should have gone all the way. I found the youngest kid annoying (I think that’s what they were aiming for) and a lot of her parts I fast forwarded through. I really wanted one of the kids to become a yankee but ***** no spoilers here****. The grumpy grandfather never became loveable to me and for some reason I found the longing of the aunt (urara played by Aibu saki) annoying and unnecessary. Each time the kids asked Mita (housekeeper) what to do, she answered the exact same thing, that drove me crazy because they kept looking like she would say something different.
The story was great but I felt like the revelations at the end were rushed and unnatural, almost as if the writers didn’t realize it was time for the drama to end. I would have liked the drama to focus a bit more on the housekeeper throughout and not just at the last 15 minutes. Dot get me wrong the ending was still nice and sweet , but it could have been better. The story itself seemed as if midway they needed new material. Like they ran out of problems within the family to tackle so they moved to the unnecessary neighbors. Still it looked like they have this one primed for a second season and I would watch that one too. However in the next family maybe they could make the family less annoying, because in some episodes 4 whiny, selfish, nosy brats and a spinelessa, cry-baby father were too much to take. Although it doesn't suck you in, and make you a part of the family, this one is an interesting watch.
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In the beginning, I was totally annoyed by Anna's personality. She was just some high society lady, never satisfied with anything, always greedy. Oh Yoo was friendlier and more sympatic. But as the story continued, I noticed how special Anna is.
You may think she is just like all those spoiled young women that appear in a lot of shows and Anna really is. But somehow she has grown dear to me. I can't really say why. Her character developes during this Drama, but still she is very unfriendly to everyone. She experienced so much already, so she can't change this much anymore.
After completeing the Drama, I'm really missing the Anna who was always yelling and complaining. Just like Chul Soo's love to her my affection to her also grew. I just love the way she developed but still remained the same.
Even thought Anna was the main character and carried nearly all of the story by herself, the side stories were very amusing as well. They made me laugh several times, but still they fit in well since they had some dramatical scenes as well. I was disapointed because there were one or two scenes where the comedy part didn't quite fit.
Over all I think the comedy and drama parts were well timed and well balanced.
The music was also fitting very well, I seldomly enjoy an OST this much. I'm even listening to it at the moment (:
Overall I'd highly recommend this Drama. I'm sure it won't fit everyones taste, but to me it seemed very well balanced, except some scenes of a side story. Still I liked the whole cast, especially Anna and Kang Ja (her friend). The main story was enjoyable, so I'm considering watching the original movie, even thought I'm afraid that it might be a bit disappointing...
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20 episodes is really too long
since the half of the drama , it's just like you're watching the same episodes again and again ! ... just to go to an end that really makes you regret having watched all that for "that" !!!
it's a pity because the trio of actors is good ...
and this drama is really lacking of some lightness !!!!!
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I watched A Moment to Remember for the third time yesterday. The first time I stumbled across it was by accident. The second time I told my parents that they should watch this, since I thought it was incredible. And now for the third time, I watched it with them again after 4 years.
Storyline:
The storyline is quite simple, yet the amount of emotion it magnifies is beyond words. I'm afraid I won't do it justice. I'll just dive right into what you should be looking out for when watching this movie.
a) Definitely pathos driven. Compare our OTP's meeting from the first 20 minutes to the scenes near the end. I felt so bittersweet at the end. It's no sarcasm. I love how they transmit such raw emotions.
b) Pay attention to details. I really loved how they incorporated scenes that happened at the beginning to the latter part of the movie. There's a lot of foreshadowing too.
c) Unique couple. It's a wonder how such a man can love his woman this dearly (I sound so pessimistic about reality haha). They share a lot of tender moments with moments of struggles that you can't help, but root for them. I loved the baseball scenes.
d) Simple, yet gorgeous. I've already said how this story is simple, but the way it touches upon such a hard topic such as "Alzheimer" and make it interesting is flawless.
e) Major tearjerker. Don't say that I didn't warn you. I usually don't cry or even shed a tear for movies/tv series, but this one, I just couldn't hold back. I didn't cry for the main couple, but I rather cried for Su-Jin's situation.
Acting/Casting:
If you've ever read my other review, you'll see that I'm a huge fan of Jung Woo-Sung and it definitely sprung from this performance of his. He always plays his role sublimely without hesitation. In other words, he never makes the scenes feel uncomfortable for the audience. It really shows in the way how his co-stars seem genuinely comfortable with him.
I love how he transitions from an aggressive/troubled lad to a heart-warming and forgiving man. He has a lot of facial expressions which proves that he's one of the higher/experienced actors.
Moving on...
Even though it was just a film and not a mini-series, I thought Jung Woo-Sung and Son Ye Jin had a lot of chemistry on their limited time. Well doesn't he have chemistry with all of his female counterparts, anyway haha?
Son Ye Jin's role, Su-Jin, reminds me of Ji Na from Padam Padam a bit. I think it's just me watching one melodrama after another haha. Though, Woo-Sung's character, Cheol-Su, also reminds me of Kang Chil from Padam Padam. Perhaps, it's due to him being an architect in both melodramas or how he's aggressive with everyone except to his woman (Yes, we can all swoon)?
Anyway, Ye Jin looks so young here. She's definitely a natural beauty. Aside from that, I thought she was also on par with Woo-Sung. Loved how her character didn't hesitate to make the first moves. They truly complement each other through their differences.
I'm sure the men who watched AMTR want a woman like Su-Jin similarly to how the women who watched AMTR want a man like Cheol-Su.
On another note, I also liked how they added family members and friends from both sides. Even though they didn't appear all the time, they gave more character backgrounds/information on our OTP. In this case, not developing their characters worked perfectly, since the movie clearly focuses on Su-Jin and Cheol-Su's lives.
Music:
The music worked well with the scenes. Though, not my type/cup of tea. I don't think I'll ever remember the songs played in the movie. But it did give a good feel in the moment I was watching.
Bonus:
Beautiful cinematography. I loved the details in the scenery, such as the one where they were strolling in the sunset (I believe it was sunset?). I won't mention others in case I ruin anything, but you'll know what I mean after giving it a shot (you should if you still haven't!).
Overall:
Even though this movie was released in 2004, it feels rather fresh and new.
What more should I say? It's not a mini-series, so there are no excuses on time limitation.
I have watched this three times, so shouldn't that summarize my entire review already?
A Moment to Remember is without a doubt my favorite Korean movie. I just wish they would make more movies like this!
Overall rating for review: 10/10
Purely for entertainment: 9.5/10 (Why not 10/10? I'm not always in the mood to cry when watching anything, be it movies or dramas.)
My Dramalist rating (avg): 9.75/10
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The story was very inspiring yet heartbreaking, I started to cry even while watching the trailer and the end was extremely moving.
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